Rescue workers saved a Rottweiler-German Shepherd crossbreed that skidded down a steep embankment on the north side of Sumas Mountain on Saturday.
Photograph by: Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service , for the TIMES
After a stomach-churning cliff fall and a rope-bound rescue effort in Abbotsford, Mary the mutt is safe, intact and wagging her tail once more.
The Rottweiler-German Shepherd crossbreed skidded down a steep embankment on the north side of Sumas Mountain on Saturday.
She had been missing for more than 24 hours when she was found by her owner and Abbotsford fire crews received a call to help rescue the injured dog.
The slope was steep and slippery, and by the time crews arrived at the ridge of the embankment shortly before 5 p.m. darkness had set in.
Firefighters scaled down the cliff to Mary’s side using a rope system. They then plopped Mary and the owner, who was with the dog, into a large basket and hauled the duo back up the embankment.
“We actually packaged the dog in a basket structure that we would use for injured people, and then we put the owner in a harness and we were able to haul him up as well, simultaneously,” said Abbotsford assistant fire chief Dave Rivett.
“The dog was in surprisingly good shape considering how long it had probably been down there.”
Rivett said this was the second such dog-and-human rescue for Abbotsford firefighters this year. The first one near Sumas Mountain in June also involved roping man and beast up a steep embankment.
He added that rescues become tougher as winter goes on because surfaces become more slippery and there are fewer hours of daylight.
Two fire engines and nine firefighters played a role in the hour-long rescue Sunday.
“We don’t mind doing this because we know that pets are important to people and their families. And we’d rather people not put themselves at risk by trying to extricate themselves from an area,” Rivett said.
“It’s all part of customer service.”
